Guardians: The Coming
by Hariel Lhikan
Summary: It should have ended with the stopping of the Prophecy. But the Titans are about to realize that Trigon was only the beginning to the real end.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer's note- I do not own Teen Titans. All original characters and related features are of my own creation. Rated for language, blood, violence, and possible adult situations. This fic does contain original characters and will contain OCxcanon pairings.

--

Prologue: When the Night has come

Jump City, USA. One of the most well known cities in the world. On one hand, there are the numerous banks, larger-than life malls, and the fabulous pizza parlors and night-life. On the other, the old rundown apartments, rats as common as the homeless men sleeping in alleyways, and the garbage so abundant one could find just about anything lying in the streets if they fancied a look. And then there were the burglars, gangs, drug dealers, guys that looked just plain shady and of course, the occasional ten-foot tall sludge monster that broke into the waste factory for a late-night radioactive shake. Thankfully, monster rampages were the least frequent occurrences in the city but everything else was an almost weekly event.

Take tonight as an example. A group of armed men had barged into the First National Bank with the intent on getting some money in their pockets. They had thought of everything: recently stolen Glock 18 machine pistols for intimidation, large cloth sacks to carry the loot, and of course, the traditional black ski-mask that was a must for any respectable robber. They even had an armored van waiting in front of the building to transport the men and money to a carefully selected hiding spot. So far, everything was going according to plan.

"On the ground!" one of them yelled, gesturing wildly with his gun, "Don't even think about going for the alarm!" All around him, his fellow robbers were issuing similar demands to the panicking bystanders, who were hastily dropping to their knees and placing their hands over their heads. Although this was what they had been taught to do in events such as this, they were too engrossed in their fear to realize that their positions would do little to save them should the robbers open fire. The said men quickly scattered into three organized groups, one going up to the front desk while the others went about ransacking purses and wallets. "The safe," he growled, pressing the barrel of his weapon into the teller's chest, "Now!"

"A-Alright…" the teller stammered, sweat staining the rims of his collar, "Just…just follow me, please…" With the gun still aimed at him, the teller led the small group into one of the back hallways and towards a large door of steel, designed to withstand anything up to a grenade. He swiped his identification card into a nearby slot and punched in the security on the panel beneath it. The panel beeped twice to confirm the code and the door slid open with a heavy hiss, only to reveal the circular door to the actual safe.

"The hell is this?" the robber scowled, jabbing the teller with his gun, "You tryin' to be smart with me, pal?"

"No! Not at all!" the teller exclaimed, hastily going over to the lock, "Just…an added security feature..." Saying that, he spun the lock to the right, then to the left, then to the right one last time before pushing on the door. It eased open and the teller was shoved aside as all but two robbers stormed inside and began stuffing the carefully sorted bills into the sacks. One of the remaining robbers went back to the lobby to tell one of the other groups the news while the last one continued to hold the teller at gunpoint. "Please, sir," he said quietly, his forehead glistening now, "I-I have a wife at home…and a kid to take care of…"

"Quit your bitchin'," the thug interrupted before adding in a somewhat softer tone, "As long as we get the money, no one gets hurt. End of story." He was silent as the second group appeared, the last one remaining behind on crowd control. By now, the first group had filled up their sacks and had left to start loading up the van while the second group began grabbing as much as they could. The robber sighed and grinned inwardly in content. After tonight, they would have enough cash to make all of them happy and with his share, he could go and a few twelve-packs and maybe even go clubbing. He visibly relaxed at this thought; he hadn't gone clubbing in a while.

"Steve!" a voice shouted, startling him from his reverie and he growled a bit in irritation, "Steve, you there?!" Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a radio and held his thumb on a button.

"Whaddya want?" he asked irritably, "This better be good."

"Steve, we gotta get outta here!" the robber on the other end shouted in a panicked tone and Steve's eyebrow arched when he heard what sounded like gunfire in the background, "Now!"

"What is it?" Steve sighed, "Cops?"

"Worse!" At this, Steve began to get nervous. The only thing that was worse than cops were…

"The Ti-?"

"There's no time! We gotta go!" the other robber practically screamed and by now, the second group had gathered around to listen, "Whatever these things are, they've got teeth! Sharp, pointy teeth and lots of it!"

"Look, will ya calm down for a sec' and tell me just what…"

"OH GOD!!" the other robber suddenly cried, "OH GOD GET AWAY!! GET AWAYAAAAAAGGGH!!" All Steve and everyone who was listening could only stand there with their mouths hanging open as the robber's screams, what sounded like snarling and loud squishing sounds blared from the radio in his hand. Then, as quickly as it had come, the racket ended and silence filled the hallway. For a few moments, all of them just stared at the radio, even the teller who had forgotten all about the gun being pointed at him.

"Maybe…" one of the robbers present finally said, "Maybe we'd better take a look."

"Are you nuts?!" another exclaimed, "We just heard something rip Carl to pieces! And now you want to see what it was?!"

"Shut up, both of you!" Steve snapped, silencing both of them, "This ain't like the Titans…that had to be something else." Before he could get out another word, though, the radio crackled again and everyone's attention snapped back to it.

"Helloooo?" a voice said, "Any body home?" The robbers would have laughed if it hadn't been for what they had heard previously, for the voice sounded like it belonged to a little girl. "I know you're there…" she said in a much too cheerful manner, her voice almost taunting in tone, "Come on out and play…the moon's real pretty tonight…" Then, with a playful giggle, the voice went silent and only static could be heard over the radio.

"That's it," Steve said, "We're getting the hell outta here." Without another word, he led the group back into the lobby, still holding the teller at gunpoint. Before they reached it, though, there was a terrific crash much yelling and screaming, mostly from the civilians. Rushing into the lobby, Steve's jaw fell open again as did everyone else's. Lying just a few feet away from a newly made hole in the wall was the van, although it was safe to say that it had seen much better days. Every window was smashed, the doors were missing from the hinges, and gaping holes were covering the body. That alone didn't worry Steve too much, as he knew that powerful explosives could have easily caused such damage, even to an armored vehicle. In fact, he would have been able to keep his cool if it weren't for the unholy amounts of blood smeared all over the sides and the fact that the five inch-thick steel armor looked like it had been _chewed_ through. Normally, such a sight would have just irked Steve but this was a different matter. Having a getaway vehicle used as chew toy and then tossed _through_ a wall was a definite morale-killer for any criminal.

And then he noticed it, the figure standing just a little ways off to the side of the van. Upon his first glance, he rubbed his eyes to make sure that they were working properly because the figure looked a bit smaller than five feet in height and he could also just barely make out the physique of a very young girl. A hood shadowed the top portion of her face but left her mouth visible, which was curled up in a very wide smile. If it weren't for the intimidating black robe that she wore over what looked like a dark grey tunic, he would have found the situation rather laughable and even a bit cute.

"I'm so glad you made it!" she suddenly giggled and Steve realized in horror that her voice was the same one that he had heard over the radio. She was practically bouncing on her feet now and was behaving like she was very excited about something. "I met your friends outside," she added, suddenly pouting a bit, "But they were kind of boring." At this, Steve chanced a look outside and did a double take when he saw the carcasses of the first group strewn across the street, several of them sporting slashed throats while the rest of them looked like they had attacked by a lawnmower. "But now, I can play with you guys!" the girl grinned, the sickeningly sweet smile returning to what was visible of her face, "And I can introduce you to my friends too!" As she reached into her robe, every robber suddenly snapped back to their senses and raised their guns, hastily clicking the safeties off. "Ooh, you brought your own toys too!" she said in an almost delighted tone, seemingly oblivious to the fact that there were about twelve Glocks now aimed at her and pulled out her hand. Steve blinked when he saw that her hand was clenched around something that he couldn't see and almost lowered his weapon when she sprinkled whatever it was onto the floor in front of her. "Ee hee hee hee! We're gonna have so much fun together!" she giggled excitedly, still beaming at them from under her hood, "I can't wait to get started!" Steve couldn't help but wonder just what she was about to start when she suddenly looked down at the floor.

It would only take a few seconds to make him wish he hadn't.

--

As the leader of a well-known team of superheroes and the former sidekick of the famous Batman, Robin had seen and experienced his own fair share of strange and terrifying situations. Twisted alternate realities created by a deranged British gentleman, taking the daughter of a breeder of genetically-enhanced moths to her prom, and even the end of the living world that was brought about by one of his own teammates. Few things were capable of disturbing Robin, Boy Wonder and head of the Teen Titans. And it was rather safe to say that what he was seeing now had been added to his list.

Approximately fifteen minutes ago, the Titans had received a distress call stating that an armed robbery was taking place at the First National Bank, a common target for such crimes. The mood had been fairly relaxed when they departed from their tower, which was considered nothing short of a landmark, and entered the city, fully expecting to make a dramatic entrance at the bank, kick around some bank robber ass, and maybe stop for a well-deserved pizza or two on the way home. What they hadn't expected was to show up at what looked like a slaughter house with police barricades set up all around trying to keep away curious citizens and prying new teams. And as Robin led the rest of the team past grim-faced officers and the yellow police tape, he allowed the words that every member of the team had on their minds slip through his lips.

"Oh my…God…"

The sheer carnage of the scene was simply staggering. Bodies and body _parts_ were scattered all over the sidewalk and street, with dropped guns, bullet casings, and what looked like horribly like mangled organs littering the ground. A particularly disturbing victim was lying with his arms and chunks of his legs missing and the entire length of his intestines spilling out all around him. Another was torn in half down the middle, his spinal chord dangling out of one of the halves. And yet another had been so violently torn apart that he was still in his death throes, what was left of the body jerking in spasms as the nerves continued function past the removal of his heart.

And that was only the outside of the bank. After entering through a hole in the wall, he spotted a bloodied and badly damaged armored van lying on the floor and even more bodies. Many of them were in similar states as the bodies outside, although Robin noticed that not all of them had been brutally ripped to pieces. Bending over one that was completely intact, he spotted a bloody but clean gash across the victims' throat. And speaking of blood, Robin could barely even begin to imagine how much of it was splattered on the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling like fresh paint. The stench of it burned his nostrils and when he tried breathing through his mouth, he nearly gagged as the odor had become so concentrated that he could almost _taste_ it in the air. The soles of his steel-tipped boots were already stained a deep crimson but he ignored this as he began to formulate a possible explanation, the small black mask he wore over his eyes narrowing in thought. After a few minutes of thinking, however, he sighed and ran a hand through his spiked hair, held in place by a daily sizable glob of gel, before looking over to see how the others were taking this.

His gaze automatically went to Starfire first and he felt a pang in his heart when he saw the expression on her face. The red-headed princess of Tamaran was trudging across the floor, unable to summon the joyful thoughts needed to help her fly. Her face, normally occupied by a cheerful smile, was now transfixed with horror and sorrow as tears threatened to fall from her brilliant green eyes. Being the most sensitive of the team, it was little surprise to see that she was taking the sight rather badly and deep down, the side of Robin that was Starfire's loving boyfriend wished that he could walk over and embrace her to make her feel better. However, the ever dominant instincts gained through years as Batman's protégé told him that now was not the time for such things and as long as he was at a crime scene, Robin knew that he had to maintain a professional image for the whole team, if not for himself.

Over by the van, Cyborg was looking over the damage with a stoic face but Robin could still see the disgust in his normal and bionic eye alike, even as the latter was most likely scanning the vehicle to see what had caused the damage. As the oldest Titan, Cyborg was more than capable of stomaching the sight of blood but even he was disturbed by the amount he was seeing. Being mostly machine didn't mean he was without feelings and he was definitely appalled by the sheer violence in how most of the victims had died. If he looked closely enough, he could see Cyborg's blue circuitry glowing a bit to show his mood and slight curiosity of the origin of the holes in the van.

Glancing over at Beast Boy, Robin would have been amused had the situation not been so serious. The changeling was looking a rather unnatural shade of green, which was quite something considering Beast Boy's skin, hair, and eyes were all green in color already but Robin understood this reaction, since Beast Boy happened to be the youngest member of the team. Even though he was the resident comedian (or at least, he tried to be) and often acted without putting too much thought into it first, Robin was well aware of Beast Boy's more serious side and that when put under the right circumstances, he was capable of formulating plans of his own. Unfortunately for the changeling (and often everyone else), he was usually far too caught up in the heat of a moment to ever stop to use his head and often wound up getting himself in trouble.

And then there was Raven, the antisocial, brooding empath. Knowing her history, Robin had no doubt that she was probably the least troubled by what they were seeing but even then, he could see a hint of shock on what was visible of her otherwise placid face underneath her hood. Judging from the way she was focusing mostly on the bodies, he figured that she was looking into how they had died using her dark powers that no one else on the team had ever fully understood. Lately, though, Robin had noticed with surprise that Raven had begun to behave somewhat more openly with all of the other Titans, even if it was just a tiny bit. In fact, prior to leaving the Tower, she had openly displayed irritation towards Beast Boy and even showed a trace of a smile when she used her powers to give the poor changeling an atomic wedgie. When he saw her glance in his direction, however, he realized that his thoughts were probably distracting her and turned back to the grim matter at hand.

"Well team," Robin said, glancing at each Titan as they regrouped a few minutes later, "What've we got?"

"Dude…" Beast Boy moaned, still clutching his stomach, "I've sat through the goriest of gory movies and stomached a jumbo tub…but this just makes me wanna puke out everything from last night's dinner on…"

"I agree most heartedly with Beast Boy, this is much worse than the movies of the last destination…" Starfire nodded sadly, her face still a bit downcast, "I simply do not understand…who could ever do something like this?"

"Star…it's _Final_ Destination…" Beast Boy grunted, not noticing the ever so slight glare that Robin sent him behind his mask.

"There are…" Robin began, facing Starfire, "A lot of bad people in the world, Star. Some worse than others."

"Well, one thing's for sure," Cyborg said, jerking his thumb at the vehicle to get them back on track, "That van wasn't turned into Swiss cheese by explosives or even firearms."

"Are you sure?" Robin frowned, glancing at it, "Then where did all those holes come from?"

"Whatever made them forced their way in," Cyborg told them, "And…" At this, he trailed off, as if nervous about something.

"What? What is it?" Beast Boy asked, his nausea overcome by curiosity.

"Yes, friend Cyborg," Starfire added, "Please, do tell us the methods in which these things forced entry into the vehicle." Cyborg hesitated again before leaning closer to everyone.

"Alright, but y'all gotta promise not to panic," he whispered.

"Cyborg," Raven said, the first time she had spoken all night, "I think we're mature enough to handle whatever it is you're going to tell us. Most of us, at least."

"Yeah, dude," Beast Boy nodded, not realizing that Raven's last statement had been implying him, "Besides, what could possibly be more disturbing than this?"

"Okay, if you say so," Cyborg said and then gestured at the van again, "When I was scanning that van, I noticed that the holes didn't show any signs of being made by drills, so I figured that it had been punched through. Then I found this smeared near the holes." He opened up a panel in his leg and held up a vial, one of the kinds they normally used for collecting evidence. Inside was a very small amount of a thick, clear substance that had a few air bubbles on its surface.

"What is it?" Robin asked, taking the vial from the biomechanical teen and inspecting it closely.

"If my scanners aren't giving me bogus results, which they're not," Cyborg told them, saying the last part hastily, "That stuff is pretty much just everyday spit." There was a brief silence as the Titans glanced quizzically at him and he shrugged before adding, "Well…that's what it is! It's drool!"

"Okay, so now we know that whatever did this is super strong and slobbers," Beast Boy grinned, trying to lighten up the situation, "That kind of helps…right?"

"It does, actually," Robin nodded, "We can get this stuff analyzed and use it to determine just what it came from." Putting the vial in his utility belt, he gave a small smile and said, "Nice work, team. Cyborg, is there anything else that you found?"

"Well…" Cyborg said, suddenly hesitant again, "There _is_ one more thing…"

"Oh, do tell us, friend Cyborg!" Starfire exclaimed, the sudden excitement causing her to float a few inches off of the ground, "We must have more information if we are to catch the culprits!"

"Alright, but this is where it gets really freaky," Cyborg sighed, "I was scooping some of that drool into the vial when my scanners picked up something else near the holes. At first I thought it was just scratches but then when I looked closer, I saw it was something else." He paused again and Robin became concerned.

"Yes?" Beast Boy blinked, motioning for Cyborg to continue, "Come on, dude, what did you find?" Cyborg glanced at all of them before muttering two words.

"Teeth marks." There was another silence, this time resulting from the other Titans being too stunned to respond.

"Dude…" Beast Boy gaped, "That's…that's crazy! And not in a good way either!"

"Yes," Starfire nodded, her green eyes wide, "This sounds like a most formidable creature."

"We have to find it," Robin frowned, pounding his fist into an open palm, "This thing's clearly a major threat to the people…we gotta track it down and take it out before it does something like this again."

"Then I guess you won't like what I found out," Raven said darkly, "When I looked into the minds of the witnesses, I saw that there were several of these creatures here. This thing isn't traveling alone."

"Don't you think we should call in some back-up?" Beast Boy asked nervously, "You know…maybe the Titans East can come lend a hand. Or we can call up Kid Flash and Jinx."

"I understand what you're saying, Beast Boy," Robin said, sounding grateful for the advice, "But we're dealing with something that we've never seen before. These things ripped through five inches of fortified steel with their _teeth_. We can't risk having one of the others get seriously injured while helping out."

"And besides, they wouldn't be able to make it anyway," Cyborg added, "I just called Bee yesterday and she told me there's been a major crime surge over in Steel City, so they've got their hands full as it is. And from what I've heard, Kid Flash is still helping Jinx make the full transition to hero."

"Alright then, let's move out," Robin told them, "I'll search ground-side with Cyborg. Starfire, you and Raven search from the air. And Beast Boy, well…" Robin trailed off and an apologetic smile broke through his leader face as the others cringed a little. The changeling immediately knew what this meant and he was more than ready to protest.

"Oh, come on, Rob'!" Beast Boy groaned, "Not the sewers again!" Since he was the one with the ability to turn into animals, Beast Boy was more often than not the prime candidate when the Titans needed some reconnaissance done. Most times, the changeling didn't have a problem with this but there were a few places where he tried to avoid going if possible and that included Jump City's sewage system. In fact, even most villains were more inclined to turn themselves in than resort to escaping through the sewers.

"Sorry, Beast Boy," Robin apologized, knowing how unpleasant it was to be in such a place from personal experience, "But you're the only one who can get in and out of there at a reasonable speed."

"Don't worry about it, BB," Cyborg said, giving his green friend a pat on the shoulder that almost made his knees buckle, "We'll make it up to you when we get back."

"Alright…" Beast Boy sighed, "But I get to cook breakfast tomorrow!"

"Eh, fair enough," Cyborg shrugged, "I'd rather eat your tofu crap than go through the sewers." And coming from the mainly carnivorous Titan, this was quite a statement to make.

"Hey, Titans," the police commissioner called out as he walked over, "Sorry to interrupt the briefing, but we've got some new information that might help you out."

"Alright," Robin nodded, "Let's hear it."

"According to several witnesses, one of the robbers was able to flee from the scene during the struggle. We're thinking that it may have been the leader," the commissioner told them, "Anyway, when he high-tailed it out of here, they're saying that the monsters that attacked the robbers chased after him. No one knows where they went, but they're most likely still in town. If you hurry, you can catch up to him before those things do."

"Thanks, Commissioner," Robin said, "Anything else?"

"Two things, actually," the commissioner replied, "When we looked at the bodies and other witness statements, we found out that there had been no civilian casualties." The Titans were slightly surprised by this but listened as he added, "And several witnesses claim to have seen a figure inside the bank wielding some kind of blade. They're saying that this figure was somehow commanding the creatures to attack."

"What did this stranger look like?" Starfire asked, now curious and the others nodded in agreement.

"We're not too sure. The security cameras were damaged when the truck got thrown through the wall, so we don't have any footage of the fight," the commissioner told them a bit sheepishly, "But the people who saw it say that the figure was short, probably a little less than five feet in height. The figure was also wearing a black hooded robe over a grey tunic and apparently had the voice of a young girl." This only served to puzzle the Titans further but nonetheless, they thanked the commissioner for the information and after getting a general description of the robber, headed out of the bank.

"Alright, team, new objective," Robin said as they approached the police barrier, "We now have to keep an eye out for the surviving robber while we're looking for this creature. As soon as you run into either one, signal us and we'll get to your position as soon as we can."

"But Robin," Starfire interrupted nervously, "We do not even know of the creature's appearance. How will we know if we have found it?"

"If it looks dangerous, call," Robin replied, "Okay, let's move!" Raven and Starfire nodded and took to the skies as Robin hit a switch on his belt. A few minutes later, the red R-Cycle came screeching to a stop next to him and he climbed on, adjusting his helmet as he turned to Cyborg, now outside of the barrier. "Make sure you've got your sensors on at as high of a sensitivity level as you can allow," he told the bionic teen, "We've got to make sure we look everywhere." Cyborg nodded and ran off as Robin turned to the remaining member and said, "Well…good luck, Beast Boy."

"Yeah, yeah," the changeling sighed, waving dismissively with his hand, "You worry about your turf…I'll just go get a little smelly while looking for this thing." Robin nodded and revved the motor of the R-Cycle before racing off down the street. Looking around to watch his teammates fade from view, Beast Boy sighed before saying to himself, "They just don't pay me enough for this…" With that, he willed his molecules to rearrange themselves and in a matter of moments, he had shrunk down until he was out of sight. No one paid any heed as a jade-green mouse suddenly appeared where he had been standing and darted off into a nearby storm drain.

-End of Prologue.

_Next time- The Titans track down and face off against the new vigilante, only to find more than they bargained. Meanwhile, Terra's petrified state has caught the attention of a stranger. Could this mean trouble for the helpless geomancer? Or does this stranger have something else in mind?_


	2. Roses are Red, Blood is Too

Disclaimer's note- I do not own Teen Titans. All original characters and related features are of my own creation. Rated for language, violence, and possible adult situations. This fic does contain original characters, OCxcanon pairings and will eventually feature cross-overs. Reviews are strongly encouraged.

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Chapter 1: Roses are red. Blood is too

With no one else around, Beast Boy didn't have to suppress the shudder that ran through him as he trudged through the waist-deep sludge that ran through Jump City's sewer system. Everywhere he looked, all he could see was the liquid filth that oozed from the pipes lining the walls. Said walls were too damp and slippery for any of his animal forms to properly grip and aside from that, turning into any animal at the moment would have caused the pervading stench to completely overwhelm him. Anyone with a normal sense of smell would have already been complaining but as Beast Boy's nose was extra sensitive, he had it about twice as bad. Luckily, Beast Boy was more disciplined than most people gave him credit for and was handling the situation quite well. Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't complaining about it mentally. Even the rats didn't bother him as much, although it could have been because he had turned into one a few times in his life.

The stench, however, wasn't all that was on Beast Boy's mind at the moment. Lately, in fact, he had grown to dislike going underground at all and usually avoided it when he could. The reason being that the dark atmosphere reminded him all too much of an abandoned cave that only he and the other Titans knew of. "Just like where she…" Beast Boy muttered but then trailed off as his ears twitched and he stopped walking. He strained his ears and sure enough, he heard a dim rumbling coming from somewhere. Glancing around, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary but when he looked up, his eyes widened and his ears instantly went limp. Straight above him was an open sewage pipe, with the opening pointing right at his face. And Beast Boy had a feeling that he knew what was causing the rumbling.

"Son of a …" he thought before a jet of sewage blasted him in the face, completely soaking his black and purple uniform and every part of his body that had been dry before. The jet was so strong and sudden that it pushed him into the sludge that he had been walking around in and the whole time, Beast Boy was squeezing his eyes and mouth shut to keep anything from getting in. Moments later, the flow subsided and he resurfaced, coughing and shaking himself off. During the process, a bit of the liquid got into his mouth and he blanched before adding his breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the sludge. "Ugh, dude…" Beast Boy groaned and massaged his stomach, "Totally not cool…" At that moment, the communicator in his pocket sounded and he quickly pulled it out, hoping that it was good news as he wiped it down and flipped it open.

"Beast Boy, we…whoa," Robin blinked as his face appeared on the screen, "What happened to you?"

"A sewage pipe happened," Beast Boy grumbled as he started walking again, "So what's up? Find anything yet?"

"Yeah, Starfire and Raven spotted the robber heading downtown," Robin said and Beast Boy breathed a visible sigh of relief, "We're heading to intercept him now. Think you can catch up?"

"No prob', as long as I get out of here," Beast Boy grinned, jerking his thumb over his shoulder, "I'll meet up with you guys later."

"Okay, just follow our signals until you find us," Robin nodded, "Robin out."

"Finally!" Beast Boy sighed as he snapped the communicator shut and put it back in his pocket, "Time to go!" With that, he quickly headed over to the nearest ladder and started climbing, the smell getting noticeably milder as he ascended. Reaching the manhole cover, he reached and pushed it up and aside before climbing out. "Hmm…so that's what being a Ninja Turtle would be like," he thought and chuckled to himself at his own joke as he became a dog and shook himself vigorously, getting himself as dry as he could before leaving. Before he did start on his way, however, he lifted his arm to his face and gingerly sniffed it before gagging and falling onto his back. "_Why_ did I do that?!" he grumbled as he got back up before turning into a hawk and taking off, "Oh well, at least I can get rid of some of the smell this way…" He stopped thinking to himself at this point and instead focused his now extra powerful eyes on the ground, scanning the streets for the others. Of course, he also had to watch his where he was going as to avoid face-planting into any buildings, which he remembered being a bit of a problem for him during his earlier days as a Titan. Of course, they'd all had their share of problems…some just more than others.

"Friend Beast Boy!" a voice suddenly called out behind him and he quickly rotated his head to see Starfire waving at him, "We are over here!" Crying out in acknowledgement, Beast Boy effortlessly wheeled around in midair and flew after the Tameranean, who was now headed back to the three other Titans on the ground. "Friends, I have found him," Starfire announced as she landed and Beast Boy changed back to his humanoid form as he arrived shortly afterward.

"Hey, guys," Beast Boy grinned as he walked over to them, "Sorry I'm laaaaate!!" Beast Boy's body was suddenly surrounded by black energy, which outlined his torso in white and shoved him away from the group.

"Beast Boy…" Raven scowled, a similar energy surrounding her hand as it protruded from her blue cloak, "You are _not_ coming near me until you've gotten rid of that smell."

"Yeah, man," Cyborg nodded, wrinkling his nose, "I know you just trekked through a sewer and all, but God _damn_ do you stink!"

"Settle down, guys," Robin said, "We need to be ready for when the robber gets here. He's bound to make a run for it when he sees us."

"Robin is correct," Starfire added, "We can not allow ourselves to be distracted now, even if friend Beast Boy's odor is most unpleasant."

"Gee, thanks a lot, Star," Beast Boy sighed.

"You are most welcome, friend Beast Boy." was the Tameranean princess' reply, completely missing the sarcasm in his voice. All of a sudden, Beast Boy's ears twitched again and he turned to face an alleyway as Raven and Cyborg did the same.

"You hear that?" the changeling asked.

"Not exactly heard," Cyborg replied, "But I've got something on my motion tracker and it's heading our way. I'm guessing it's our man."

"It is," Raven confirmed, opening her lavender eyes, "He's emanating the same emotions as before…he's running from something. It might be those things at the bank."

"If he is, then he'll lead them straight to us," Robin said, "Get ready team." Sure enough, the sound of rapid footfalls could be heard coming from the alleyway, accompanied by various crashes and bangs which they presumed was the robber pushing various objects out of the way. Moments later, said robber burst out of the alleyway and the Titans quickly prepared to chase him. Instead of running away, however, the robber caught sight of them and ran towards them instead, startling the Titans.

"Oh, thank God it's you!" the robber cried in relief, "Listen, you guys…you gotta help me…" Puzzled, they glanced at each other and then back at the panicking robber, who kept looking back into the alleyway.

"Umm…we are most appreciative of your willingness to cooperate," Starfire began, "But is it not customary of people such as yourself to flee when you see us?"

"Yeah, but not this time!" the man replied, "I need your help!"

"I think he's a little confused about the way things work around here," Cyborg whispered to Beast Boy, who nodded in agreement.

"Look, you can take me to jail if you want, I don't care," the robber said, "Just don't let those…those things get me!"

"I'm not sure I completely understand you," Robin frowned, cocking an eyebrow.

"Please!" the robber begged, now on his knees, "If they catch me they'll rip me apart like they did with the others!"

"Calm down," said Raven, "Just what are you running from?" As if to answer her question, a low snarl suddenly sounded from the alleyway, causing everyone to look towards it. The robber was suddenly seized by another panic attack and scrambled behind Cyborg, hoping that the bionic teen's girth would be sufficient to hide him.

"Ok," Beast Boy gulped, "What was that?"

"I don't know, but I bet it's trouble," Robin replied, drawing several birdrangs from his belt, "Cyborg, anything on your sensors?"

"I'm picking up movement coming from the alleyway," Cyborg confirmed, deploying his sonic cannon at the same time, "Whatever it is, it's big and there's more than one."

"They're here…" the robber whimpered, "They're here…don't let 'em get me…" For a few moments, the Titans remained at the ready, each prepared to use their respective powers or weapons if the need arose.

"I don't like this," Robin frowned, "Cyborg, get some light in there." Cyborg nodded in response and a panel on his left shoulder flipped up, shining his built-in torch into the alleyway. He shifted his arm, allowing the beam to travel through the darkness until it settled on a rather odd sight. A large vine, as thick as his biceps, was steadily making its way towards the entrance of the alleyway, almost like a snake gliding through water. The Titans quickly focused on it, readying their projectiles while Raven engulfed a nearby trash bin in her dark energy and Beast Boy assumed the form of a large gorilla. After another few minutes of waiting, however, the vine was not moving any faster and some of them were beginning to doubt it was dangerous at all.

"Robin," Starfire whispered, "I do not believe this creature is very aggressive."

"Let's keep watching, Star," Robin muttered, never taking his eyes off of the vine, "We can't make any assumptions yet." As he said this, the vine suddenly began to move faster, snaking towards the Titans and the cowering robber behind them. And still, the Titans did nothing to stop it as it came closer and closer.

"Hey, don't just stand there!" the robber whispered, "Kill it!" The Titans ignored him and continued to watch the vine, which was practically three feet away from them at this point. By now, Beast Boy had changed back to his normal form and Raven had set the trash bin down to conserve energy even as the vine slithered over Robin's foot.

"Dude, I think it's ignoring us," Beast Boy blinked as he watched it move in past his own foot, under Starfire and then between Cyborg's feet, who had shifted his hand back to normal.

"I'm not feeling any aggression coming from it," Raven said, "It's…focused. Like it's looking for something…but what-?" And at that moment, the vine reached the robber's foot and lightly brushed against it.

Then all hell broke loose.

In a single blurred motion that even Robin could barely follow, the vine coiled itself around the robber's leg, inciting a scream of terror that soon turned to one of pain as vicious looking thorns suddenly erupted from its surface. "Hold still!" Cyborg yelled and deployed his sonic cannon again, taking careful aim at the vine as the robber thrashed about in his agony before firing. The bright blue beam of solidified energy hit the vine dead-on and the Titans heard what sounded like a screech as it suddenly unwound, slashing the man's leg open in several places as it did so. Without warning, an entire cluster of vines suddenly lashed out from the alleyway, knocking the team aside and grabbing the bleeding man before dragging him towards the darkness.

"No! No, help!" he cried as he futilely clawed at the pavement, "Please! Help me!" Robin was the first to react, springing to his feet and rushing over to the man before grabbing his hand, bracing his foot against one of the walls. Cyborg and Beast Boy were next, quickly followed by Raven and Starfire as the Titans formed a chain to help Robin pull on the robber's arm. For a few minutes, a grueling game of tug-of-war ensued between the Titans and the vines, with neither side having the advantage. Then, one of the vines suddenly let go and whipped forward, giving Robin what would have passed for a back-hand had it been human arm and causing the Boy Wonder to let go in his surprise. "No! No!" the robber cried as the Titans fell back like dominoes, "NOOOO!!" And he vanished into the darkness, even as he prayed that somehow, some benevolent power somewhere would hear him and save him from his doom. But when the Titans heard vicious snarling and wet ripping sounds replace his screams, they realized that he had met the same fate as his companions back at the bank.

"Okay," Beast Boy said as they picked themselves up, "Can someone _please_ tell me what the hell just happened?!"

"Dunno," Cyborg frowned, "But one thing's for sure, those things were a lot stronger than they looked."

"This is getting more confusing by the second," Robin sighed, shaking his head, "Let's head back to the tower and see if we can find anything out about those things…" He had just finished speaking when an even larger vine suddenly appeared from the alleyway, forming a down-ward slant with itself with a curved incline at the end, while its top surface was unusually flat. At once, the Titans prepared to defend themselves as a small figure suddenly slid down the vine like a slide before launching off of the incline. They watched as the figure somersaulted in midair before landing with acrobatic grace facing away from them. All of a sudden, the figure started hopping up and down and clapping gleefully, causing the Titans to glance at one another.

"Hooray! What a show!" the figure giggled and turned in a circle while hopping on one foot, "That was great! I wish we could do that again!" Just then, she stopped and turned to look at the Titans as if she had just noticed them standing there before turning completely to face them. "Oh, hello there!" she beamed, "Are you here to play with me too?" The Titans relaxed a bit, taking the time to observe the stranger. From what they could see, the figure was a young girl, a few years younger than themselves and barely four and a half feet in height. Her eyes were hidden by a hood but they could easily see a few stray strands of cranberry-red hair and a bright and rather cute grin spread across her face. Her attire was somewhat similar to Raven's, except she wore a black robe with sleeves that extended slightly past her wrists and she was wearing a grey tunic and pants under it, complete with matching black boots. Despite the rather dark clothing, Starfire couldn't help but melt a little from seeing her smile and listening to her tone.

"Dude," Beast Boy blinked, "Is that…the other person the witnesses saw?"

"She certainly matches the description," Cyborg shrugged, "But who would've guessed it really would be a little kid?"

"I am _not_ little!" the girl pouted and the Titans were taken aback as she stomped her foot in irritation, "If you really wanna know, I'm twelve years old, so there!" The Titans glanced at each other before Robin decided to start interrogating her.

"Well, we're not really here to play, so-"

"Ooh," the girl said, her face falling a little, "That's too bad."

"Oh, please do not be upset!" Starfire exclaimed, floating closer to her, "We did not mean to make you sad!"

"Star, we're just gonna ask her some questions, and-"

"Questions?" the girl asked as she perked up, "Oh goody! I love questions! Ask away!"

"…Right," Robin blinked as a sweat-drop rolled down the back of his head, "Anyway, let's start with what happened back there. Were you the one controlling those…things?"

"Uh huh!" she nodded eagerly, "We love to play tag! And the nice men were so much fun to play with!" This earned her another odd look as she bounced on her feet and exclaimed, "Okay, my turn to ask! Um…oh! Who are you people?"

"You…don't know?" Robin blinked.

"Nope! Never seen you before!"

"Then allow us to introduce ourselves to you!" Starfire beamed, "I am Princess Koriand'r from the glorious planet of Tamaran. But you may simply refer to me by my earth name of Starfire."

"Beast Boy's the name," Beast Boy declared, throwing out his chest to make himself look bigger, "But you can call me awesome!" This earned him a cuff to the head from Raven, who glared at him disapprovingly.

"Don't mind the grass-stain," Cyborg chuckled and Beast Boy sent his own glare at him, "The name's Cyborg, by the way."

"I'm Robin, leader of the Teen Titans," Robin said and when no one else spoke, he gestured at Raven and added, "And that's Raven…she doesn't really like talking a lot."

"Pleasure."

"Teen…Titans?" the girl asked, "But…the Titans that I read about were giant-sized. None of your are that tall."

"Well, we're not exactly those kind of Titans," Robin explained, "We're teenagers…"

"Who kick butt!" Beast Boy interjected and Robin gave him a look for cutting him off.

"What he said," he continued, "Hence the Titan part. We're teens, but we're stronger than most normal teens."

"Ooh," the girl said as if understand and then said out of no where, "Your clothes are funny." At this, the Titans couldn't help but face-vault onto the pavement while she watched in confusion.

"Oh yeah?" Beast Boy retorted as they recovered, "Well…well that robe-thingy doesn't look too great either!"

"And just _what_ is wrong with 'robe-thingies'?" Raven growled, suddenly towering over the changeling in an almost comical way as Beast Boy seemed to shrink in proportion to her.

"Uh, um, nothing! Nothing at all!" Beast Boy grinned sheepishly, waving his hands in a defensive way, "In fact, I think they're very stylish! All the rage right now, those robe-thingies…"

"Friends, now is not the time for quarreling," Starfire said before turning back to the girl, "Please, stranger, will you not also share your name with us as well?"

"Um…" the girl replied, her expression suddenly becoming a bit uneasy, "Big brother always told me not to tell my name to strangers." This caused a few sweat-drops to roll, although Raven stared at her distrustfully as the others glanced at each other.

"She's hiding something…" the empath thought and mentally reached out to probe the girl's mind, only to find that doing so was next to impossible, "Strange. For someone her age, her mind is very well protected…"

"I do not fully understand," Starfire blinked, "We have revealed our names to you, have we not? Surely, we can no longer be strangers."

"Yeah, but…" the girl said, "Big brother always said that until I can trust someone no matter what, that I should always consider them a stranger."

"Pretty smart," Raven muttered and Robin nodded in agreement.

"So what's up with your brother, huh?" Beast Boy asked, cocking an eyebrow, "Sounds like he's kind of paranoid when it comes to you and talking to people." As soon as the words left his mouth, the girl's posture stiffened and her doubtful expression was replaced by one of pure anger.

"Shut up!" she suddenly shrieked, "Don't ever talk about big brother like that! He's the bravest person that I know!" The Titans were visibly taken aback by the outburst, particularly Beast Boy and Starfire, not having expected such a reaction to come from someone so young (although Raven was more surprised that Beast Boy actually used the word 'paranoid' in a sentence properly).

"H-Hey now, no need to get worked up!" Robin stuttered, waving his hands, "I'm sure he didn't mean it in a bad way…" He paused to nudge the changeling with his elbow, "Right, Beast Boy?"

"Oh, yeah, right," Beast Boy hastily nodded, "Just, you know, messing around…"

"Hmph, you'd better be!" the girl scowled and turned her nose into the air, "Or I'd have to beat you up." There was a brief silence before her demeanor suddenly relaxed and she said, "Okay, no more talking! Let's play now!"

"Um, I don't think we agreed to…"

"Hey! I answered your questions!" she argued, "So now I get to decide what to do!"

"Robin, it would not hurt to play with her for a little while," Starfire said with a small smile, "And besides, she has been most cooperative so far."

"I guess there wouldn't be any harm in that," Robin sighed, "Alright, we'll play with you, but only a little bit."

"Yay! This'll be fun!" the girl beamed, "Just let me get my friends…" Even as the Titans glanced at each other, she stuck her fingers into her mouth and whistled a single clear note. As if in response, the vines reappeared and this time, they had an additional feature on them. Attached to each group of vines was a large plant bulb that split into a pair of jaws and while they didn't have eyes, the fact that they were bristling with razor sharp teeth more than made up for it. Upon closer inspection, they discovered shreds of cloth and flesh dangling from some of the teeth as the heads snarled, drooling in a hungry manner.

"Dude!" Beast Boy gaped, "_Those_ are her friends?!"

"She must be a meta-human too," Raven frowned, "Plant control, I'm guessing."

"Alright, listen up team," Robin nodded and produced a handful of freeze-discs, "It's clear that by 'play', she means fight and I'm pretty sure she's gonna be using those things against us. We'll have to quickly render her unable to control those things before we focus on taking them out."

"Oh," Starfire grimaced, "I do not wish to harm her, Robin. Are you sure there is no other alternative?"

"Sorry, Star, I don't like it either," Robin said, "But right now, that's the only way I can see us getting out of this one alive."

"Oh, don't you worry about me!" the girl giggled, "I'll be just fine!"

"That really doesn't make me feel better about this," Cyborg muttered.

"And don't worry about my friends, either," she smiled, "They'll only bite you if you're too slow!"

"Gee, that's _real_ comforting," Raven said, rolling her eyes, "Thanks for the warning."

"No prob'!" she said, "Okay, on my mark now! Ready, go!" The words had barely left her lips when the plant creatures swarmed forward, snapping their jaws as they closed in on the teens.

"Titans, go!" Robin barked and threw his handful of disks, which hit two of the creatures and froze them solid upon detonating.

"A marvelous shot, Robin!" Starfire cheered and Robin smiled in return but was quickly jerked back to his senses by a sudden cracking sound. Before his very eyes, the ice covering the creatures cracked and then shattered as they burst free, their irritation adding to their viciousness.

"Oh, so you think you're bad, huh?" Cyborg smirked and deployed his sonic cannon before taking aim, "Well let's see how bad you are when I blow your head off!" A beam of bright blue energy burst from the nozzle and struck another head, causing it to shriek as it recoiled. "Booyah!" he grinned, "Not so tough now, are yah?" His gloating was interrupted, however, when another head lunged at him from behind and gripped him within its jaws. "Whoa!" Cyborg exclaimed as he was wildly thrashed around, "Let me go you overgrown piranha plant!" In response, the creature suddenly whipped its head about and released its jaws, sending him crashing through a lamppost. Had Cyborg's body not been mostly composed of metal, he would have suffered a lot more than a few scrapes on his armor from the experience. "Alright, you got me that time," he muttered as he got up and turned to see the same head coming at him. "Oh no you don't!" he said, "You still hungry? Then chew on this!" He brought up his sonic cannon but just as he started to charge it, it had been latched onto by the creatures' jaws and it was now violently twisting as the weapon built up energy. Without warning, it gave a particularly powerful tug and pulled Cyborg's arm off below the elbow (which, luckily for him, was detachable). As he gaped at the sight, a bright flash suddenly shone through the creature's jaws and its head exploded as the sonic cannon went off inside it.

"I do not know what kind of game this is!" Starfire exclaimed as she wove through a group of heads, "But I am most definitely not having fun!" One of the heads managed to latch onto her skirt with its teeth and she gasped as the fabric began to tear a bit. Narrowing her eyes, they began to glow bright green before a beams of energy shot from them and struck the head, forcing it to let go as it shrieked before shriveling up into a charred mass. "This article of clothing for my lower body was my favorite…" she muttered as she observed the rips in the skirt, "Oh, I am most displeased now!" Orbs of green energy surrounded her fists and her eyes began to glow again as she reared back her hands, focusing on the incoming heads. With a cry, she launched her famed starbolts at the creatures with deadly accuracy, hurling each bolt of energy as quickly as she could. To her fortune, she found that they were very efficient weapons against them, as the intense heat was enough to burn through the heads and cause them to shrivel. With this knowledge in mind, she began her counter-attack, flying at the creatures with charged starbolts at the ready.

A little ways off, Beast Boy was taking a different approach to the situation. Deciding to follow Robin's initial plan of taking out the leader first, he was darting this way and that towards the girl, who was now sitting in the branches of a tree that had somehow grown out of the street. Due to his smaller size, he was able to evade the heads easily, although one came close to taking off one of his legs. All of a sudden, he felt his foot catch on something and the ground rushed up at him before slamming into his face. Sitting up with a groan, he looked back and saw that he had tripped over a root that was now pulling back into the pavement as the girl laughed at him. "Okay, if you're gonna play like that…" Beast Boy thought before changing into the form of an eagle, "Let's see you trip me now!" With a screech, he took to the skies and flew towards her, gradually picking up speed. All she did was laugh again and it took the changeling a few seconds to notice that the tree she was sitting on was moving. He tried to stop but it was too late as he was clothes-lined by a branch. The impact shattered several of his eagle-form's fragile bones and knocked some feathers loose before he shifted back to normal and dropped to the pavement like a stone. Luckily, damage like that didn't transfer between transformations but the pain always did, leaving Beast Boy quite sore. "Should've seen that one coming…" he groaned as he picked himself up.

"Do not fear, friend Beast Boy!" Starfire called out, having dealt with her share of carnivorous plants, "I shall exact revenge on the moving plant for you!" Bringing up her hands, she launched a beam of energy at the tree the girl was sitting on, forcing her to jump. The blast burned a hole through the tree and it seemed to moan in agony as it staggered about before falling.

Right towards where Beast Boy was still sitting.

Noticing this, Raven quickly focused on the falling tree and her eyes glowed an eerie white as dark energy surrounded her hands, casting a white outline over anything it was over. "_Azarath Metrion Zinthos_!" she muttered, surrounding the tree in dark energy and stopping its fall with sheer will-power before tossing it a few feet to the side with a gesture of her hand.

"Phew," Beast Boy whistled, wiping his brow with his sleeve, "Thanks for the save, Rae."

"Don't call me that," Raven frowned and then turned her attention towards the girl. By now, the other Titans had successfully destroyed all of the plant creatures and had regrouped, with Robin in the center.

"Alright, I think that's enough games," he said, "We're bringing you in." Raven noticed that the girl was emanating a mixture of surprise and confusion but she had a feeling that it wasn't because the Titans had just won.

"You…" she muttered, her face directed at Raven, "How did you…"

"That?" Raven asked and then focused a bit of energy around her hand, "It's my powers…basic telekinesis and sorcery, really…"

"No…" the girl suddenly said and Raven began detecting anger surfacing from her, "You were…you were copying big brother!"

"What?" Raven blinked as the others cast glances at one another, "No, I-"

"Stop it!" the girl was screaming now, "Stop copying big brother right now!"

"Please, we do not understand," Starfire said, trying to assure her, "If we are offending you in anyway, then-"

"I said STOP!!" she screeched and snapped her right arm out as a rose suddenly appeared from her sleeve. As the Titans looked on, the flower went rigid and took on a metallic sheen as a petal grew and curled down to the bottom of the stem like a guard for her fingers before a long thin blade extended from the bud.

"What the…" Beast Boy gaped, "Did she just turn a flower into a sword?!"

"A rapier…" Robin muttered and scratched his chin thoughtfully, even as his other hand reached for his belt, "So that's why some of the thieves had their throats cut instead of being mutilated…"

"Now I'm serious!" the girl shouted and suddenly dashed forward with alarming speed, her rapier poised to strike, "_En Garde_!" She made a beeline straight for Raven, who quickly brought up her hands to use her powers.

"_Azarath Metrion Zinthos_!" she chanted and sent a ray of dark energy at the charging girl, who surprised them by nimbly side-stepping the attack before thrusting forward with her rapier in the same motion. Luckily for Raven, she was able to react in time to move but not before receiving a cut as the blade grazed her arm. Robin quickly moved in, Bo staff extended, and delivered a quick over-head swing, which was parried with disturbing ease by the young girl. The Boy Wonder followed up with a series of jabs with the tip of the staff, all of which were blocked seamlessly much to his chagrin.

"She's good…" Robin thought to himself as he prepared for another swing, "Real good…who trained her, I wonder…" All of a sudden, Robin was forced to bring his staff back down to defend himself against a vicious barrage of stabs, each delivered with speed nearly impossible for someone so young to achieve with just one arm. And yet the young girl continued her assault, never seeming to tire and in fact, began to thrust at an even quicker rate. Cyborg brought up his sonic cannon with his remaining arm while Starfire readied a starbolt with her right hand, though they both knew that they couldn't shoot without risking hitting Robin in the process. The girl seemed to know this as well, for she eventually placed herself in a position that allowed her to use Robin as a shield from any long-range attacks that the other Titans might attempt. Just then, she stopped attacking and flailed her arms as a green boa constrictor suddenly coiled itself around her leg, giving the Boy Wonder some much needed breathing room. Quick to take advantage of the new opening, Robin brought his staff up and lashed out, managing to catch the girl across the face with a powerful blow. With a small grunt, the girl stumbled and then tripped and fell on her bottom when Starfire threw a starbolt at her feet.

"Oh, I am most sorry!" Starfire exclaimed as Beast Boy unwound himself and turned back to normal, "Are you damaged extensively?" To their surprise, the girl coiled herself into a compact shape before springing to her feet as if nothing had happened.

"Hmm…" she said, massaging her cheek almost thoughtfully before the confused teens, "That wasn't so bad…you're the first to actually hit me while on a mission in a while…" Just then, she looked up and gasped when she saw the large clock hanging on the side of a building reading a quarter past eleven. "Uh oh, I'm gonna be late!" she told them almost apologetically, "I'd better get going before they leave without me!" She reached into her robe and pulled out what looked like a seed before dropping it on the ground, causing a massive flower-like plant to sprout in the middle of the side-walk.

"Hold it! Where are you going?!" Robin shouted as she stepped onto the plant, "And who are you meeting?!"

"Sorry, birdie-boy," the girl giggled and stuck her tongue out at them, "But _that's_ a secret! You'll just have to find out if you wanna know so bad!" As the petals began to close up around her, she added, "Oh! And before I forget, my name's Marie! Annemarie Roplin!" With that, the petals closed into a bulb before the entire plant sank into the ground, the roots reaching out to pull the debris back over the hole. The Titans were silent for a few minutes as they stared at the ruined patch in the middle of the sidewalk, trying to register what had just happened.

"Dude," Beast Boy finally said, "We just got beat by a twelve year-old..."

"What could she have meant?" Robin frowned, ignoring the comment, "It's obvious that she's meeting with other people somewhere, but for what?"

"I dunno, man, but that girl was tough," Cyborg said, "She had you on the defensive. You of all people!"

"I know that," Robin scowled before turning to Raven, "Did you read her mind?"

"I tried," Raven replied, "But her mental barriers were surprisingly strong. I couldn't find anything useful."

"Well, what we do know is that she killed those bank robbers," Robin said, "And the people she's working with are most likely the same. We need to look into this group further and find out just who they are, how they work, and why they're here."

"I agree," Starfire nodded, "She seemed harmless but this group could be a threat to the well-being of the city if they continue such destructive behavior."

"Let's head back to the tower, we can do some research there and I can analyze that plant-monster saliva I picked up back at the bank," Cyborg said and when everyone else agreed, he added with a grin, "That is, after we hit the pizza place."

"Ditto for me!" Beast Boy nodded, "Who's up for bread-stick Jenga when we get there?"

"Oh, you know I'm in!" Cyborg grinned and the two exchanged a hearty high-five.

"Marvelous!" Starfire giggled, clapping her hands excitedly, "I too will partake in the Jenga of the sticks of bread!" Just then, Cyborg's eyes widened as his nose twitched and it wasn't long until the others were reminded of where Beast Boy had been about twenty minutes ago.

"First things first," Raven said as she pinched her nose shut, "You need a shower. Now."

--

Like all other cities, Jump City had its own territorial boundaries. A little off from the city outskirts were a few scattered suburban neighborhoods and beyond those were the forests and mountains, perfect for Jump City's nature enthusiasts. Unlike the bustling city, these woods were quiet and it wasn't uncommon to encounter wildlife in such areas, making them popular camping sites. The mountains, on the other hand, were mostly barren with a few traces of vegetation growing on the slopes every now and then. There was, however, one thing that stood out within the mountains and it was the small, very well concealed cave at the base. Hidden deep within the woods, the entrance was large enough to admit a small car but there were no roads to lead to it. Even finding it would take weeks for most travelers.

But not tonight.

For on this particular evening, as the moon approached its peak in the sky, a shape moved within the cave's entrance before moving outside slightly, revealing a figure garbed in clothing similar to that of the young girl that the Titans had just fought. This figure, however, was over a foot taller than her and a male, not to mention several years her senior. A scowl was plastered on what was visible of his face as he looked around, his left hand resting on the handle of a long-sword strapped to his side. "Figures," he grumbled, "We send her to do a bit of reconnaissance and she completely forgets about…" His rant, however, was cut short when the ground in front of him suddenly burst open but instead of jumping in surprise, he simply looked on irritably as a large flower bulb emerged from the dirt. "You're late!" he barked as the petals and sepals opened to let Marie hope out, "What the hell took you so long?!"

"Well, excuuuse me for trying to have some fun!" Marie pouted, not even flinching at his words as the plant sank back into the ground, "And as for why I'm late, I had a run in with some pretty interesting people. But since you're going to be so rude about it, I think I won't tell you about it after all."

"Don't push it, runt," the other robed figure growled, visibly gnashing his teeth, raising his hand threateningly, "I'll flash-fry you on the spot if you-"

"No, you won't," Marie replied, sticking her tongue out, "'Cause you know what big brother's gonna do to you if you try." Her companion grumbled a string of curses under his breath but nevertheless, lowered his hand.

"Let's go already," he said, turning on his heel, "We've kept the others waiting long enough…" Marie nodded and followed him into the cave as he held up his hand again, this time with his palm up. Moments later, a brilliant tongue of flame ignited in his palm and swirled to form a ball before holding that form. The two walked in silence through the winding tunnels, following a long line that looked like it had been melted into the ground. After a few minutes, the ball of flame flickered towards its holder, indicating that they were near a large empty area and before long, the two stepped into a large chamber that was dimly lit by another fire glowing in the middle. Gathered around the fire were eleven other robed figures, each of them turning to look at them as they approached.

"Speak of the devil," one of them, visibly towering over the others, grinned from his place, "Have a nice trip up the rat tunnel, 'Lucie?" The fireball-barer responded by having the flames in his hand wrap around his middle finger, which he held up at the speaker so that everyone could see it.

"Go to hell, Keith," he snapped, "Wanna' see how well you talk with your tongue on fire?"

"Now, Lucius," another figure, a female sitting elegantly on her heels, smiled calmly, "I'm sure he only means well."

"Yeah, lighten up, 'Lucie!" a second female, this one sitting next to Keith, said with a grin of her own, "Aev's right, where's your sense of humor?"

"Honestly, Rachel," another female frowned, her voice edged with a hint of steel, "I don't see why you would bother trying to get through to him. He has the sense of humor of a powder keg."

"Shut up, Liena!" Lucius growled, "I don't remember anyone asking for your opinion!"

"Come on guys," a male said, holding his hands up in a cajoling manner, although his tone was slightly nervous, "Can't we just let this go?"

"Matthew is right," another male nodded, "We have more pressing matters to attend to at the moment."

"Indeed," the female next to him added, "Fighting now will not make things any easier for us."

"Is Lucius getting angry again?" another female whispered to the two figures next to her, her head tilting in a quizzical way.

"Eh, don't care," one of them, a male, shrugged as he picked at the clawed gauntlets adorning his arms, "Not like it hasn't happened before."

"Don't you think you should be a bit more concerned?" the other, a female, asked, "After all, if Lucius does lose control in here, he could turn this place into a magma chamber." This went on for a few more minutes until finally, Lucius' temper got the best of him and he took a step towards the group.

"Fine, if you're gonna give me a hard time about this…" he snarled, "I don't see why I shouldn't too!" With that, his hand went for his sword and as it did, the last female stood and reached for a no-dachi strapped to her back.

"That's quite enough," a voice said and all at once, everyone stopped talking as they turned to the last figure, who had not spoken a word until now. His robe was slightly different from the others, as the shoulders were designed so that they jutted up and curved in slightly. His voice had carried no hint of a threat but it was still enough to draw everyone else's attention to him. "As…amusing as it is to watch you all argue, we do have other things to worry about…" he said, a trace of a smile on his face as he sat with his arms crossed over his chest, "Lucius, Kay, do stand down, you're exciting Keith. And you know how much he doesn't like being denied a fight…"

"But boss, I-!" Lucius began to argue but stopped when "Aev" put a hand on his arm and gave him a small smile, causing him to exhale slowly as he calmed down and let go of his sword.

"Thank you, Aeva," the figure nodded before turning to the others, "Now, as Noah and Meilin were so kind as to remind us, we do have other matters to attend to. I trust no one has anything else to say at this point?" When no one spoke, he gave another smile and stood up, "Excellent, let us be on our way. Lucius, if you would please." Lucius sent him a glare from under his hood but stretched his hand out and the small campfire leaped off of the wood before becoming an orb in his palm. "Alright, let's go. Estella, you take up the rear," he said, gesturing to one of the females and added when the gauntlet-wearing male stood as well, "With Sean, of course." Estella nodded and he returned the nod before turning and heading over to one of the tunnels, the others getting up to follow him one by one.

"So, boss," Keith said after a few minutes, "Why exactly are we down here again?" The leader couldn't help but smile slightly at the question, as if it had amused him.

"Do you remember, Keith, when I felt that power spike nearly a year ago?" he began, "It was quite a large discharge of energy, but it was so brief that I was unable to pinpoint its location. Then, about two or so months afterward, I detected a large demonic presence and I brought us to this area. By the time we got here, however, the presence was gone and we were about to leave when I detected another source of energy."

"I remember that," Keith replied slowly, "But what's that got to do with why we're wandering around in these caves?"

"Well, Keith, it just so happens that the energy I detected matched the one in the energy spike I had felt before," the figure explained casually, "Naturally, I grew rather curious to see what was producing it and after quite a bit of searching, I believe that I have found the source of that energy."

"What do you suppose it is, sir?" Noah asked.

"I'm not quite sure," the figure admitted, "But lately, I have been sensing that energy more and more frequently coming from somewhere in these caves. It's almost as if something is trying to…communicate, in a way. Sending a plea for help, perhaps."

"You mean there could be someone down here?" Rachel blinked, even though it was hard to see beneath her hood, "In this place?"

"Possibly," he shrugged, "It could be a person, it could be a vicious beast…it may even end up being nothing at all. Regardless, however, I do intend on finding out."

"Are you sure about this?" Lucius frowned, the flames in his hand glowing brighter with his wariness, "I don't feel like getting into a scrap down here."

"Lucius, you know me," he chuckled, turning slightly to face him, "Have I ever intentionally led us into mortal peril?"

"Have I ever intentionally singed Keith's eyebrows?"

"Touché," he smiled, "Well, I suppose there were a few instances where my decisions were rather…questionable. But in the end, they all worked out, now didn't they?"

"Yeah," Rachel grinned, "Sure, they nearly get us decapitated, disemboweled, or otherwise horribly mutilated but yeah, they usually do."

"And never forget that," the figure said, "Ah, we've arrived." The group had just stepped into another chamber, this was far more spacious than the one they had been in recently. This one, however, had no floor and if it were not for a small bride of stone, a step out of the tunnel would have lead to a surely fatal drop. At the other end of the bridge was a stone pillar, extending from the center of the abyss and on top of it, they could see the outlines of a person. Without another word, they crossed the bridge and stood around the shape, gazing at it until Lucius looked at the leader with an irate expression.

"You brought us all the way here to look at a _statue_?" he asked, jerking his thumb at the mass of stone in front of them. It looked as if it had been carved into the visage of a teenage girl in a rather strange uniform, her arms extended to her sides as her blank eyes stared ahead and her hair to the side as if being lifted by an unseen wind. At her feet was a small bouquet of flowers and a bronze plaque planted into the stone.

"Terra…" Marie read from the plaque, "A Teen Titan and a true friend…she was a Titan?" The others glanced at her, not knowing exactly what she was talking about. "Umm…" she grinned, rubbing the back of her head, "I'll…explain later?"

"Whatever," Lucius huffed, "So why'd you bring us down here just to visit someone's tomb?"

"Patience, Lucius," he smiled, "Keith, feel this statue. What kind of stone is it made of?" Keith gave him an odd look before slowly reaching up and prodding the statue with his finger. His confused look quickly shifted to a frown as he put his entire hand on it and began running it over the surface.

"That's weird…" Keith muttered, "It looks like rock, but…it's not."

"Are you sure?" Meilin asked moving closer for a better look, "I'm quite sure that this is indeed made of rock."

"Mei', if there's one thing that I'm absolutely sure about, it's rocks," Keith told her, "And this definitely isn't rock. It's way too…I dunno…organic or something…"

"Is that even possible?" Rachel asked, "I mean, rock's rock, isn't it? How can it be organic?"

"An interesting question," the figure replied before gesturing at Terra's "statue", "This, my friends, is a very good example of a state of complete and utter petrification."

"This girl is petrified?" Noah frowned, examining the statue closely, "Well, if she is, she certainly does show signs of it."

"But what could have done this to her?" Kay asked, "Surely, there are no Basilisks here?"

"No. Medusa herself could not have done this clean of a job," he replied, pressing his fingertips against Terra's knee, "However…her soul is in total chaos. I'm amazed that it has managed to stay inside her body after deteriorating for so long."

"Can she be saved?" Aeva said.

"I don't see why not. As badly damaged as her soul is, it shouldn't be too difficult to fix it," he smiled, "And besides, that is what we do, isn't it?"

"Yup!" Marie nodded eagerly but then asked, "So…how do we do this?"

"Well, we've never exactly had to de-petrify anyone before…" he muttered, "And her body looks especially fragile…we may have to go all out for this one. Even then, it might take a little over a month before she is completely restored."

"A _month_?!" Rachel gaped, "No offense boss, but there is no way I'm gonna stay down here for that long!"

"Yeah, me neither," Keith frowned, "This ain't exactly the best place to set up camp."

"Now, now, settle down," he said as the others voiced their own complaints, "I understand that this is not a very…appealing place to live for a few weeks but I'm sure that you remember how dangerous this procedure is. A single mistake could mean the end for this region."

"But still," Matthew said, "A whole month down here…"

"I know," he sighed, "If it gives you any solace, I will send a pair to the surface every week until this is over. We do, after all, need supplies and it won't hurt to be informed on what is happening in the world above us."

"I suppose that will suffice," Liena nodded, "It's better than not getting any fresh air at all."

"And I am glad you understand," he said, "Well then, if no one has any more objections, let us begin. The sooner we get this started, the sooner we can leave, correct?" The others nodded and slowly fanned out until they were surrounding the statue. "Noble spirits, listen as I speak!" he muttered, moving his hands in front of his chest so that his right fist was faced up beneath his left and his left index finger pointed in the same direction, "This unfortunate soul, torn from the living world before its time, now cries out for aid. Please, grant us the power to fulfill our duties in protecting that which you have created…" As he spoke, a sphere of black energy outlined in white and a second sphere of bright light formed above the tip of his finger and the others mimicked his position, each forming a ball of energy of their own in varying colors. They all had their heads bowed as they slowly turned their hands as if to cup the spheres in their palms as they grew.

"Let us all bind as one. The very foundations of existence which we hold," he continued as the others nudged their spheres upward, "The very elements from whence we came, we call upon you once more." The colored spheres of energy suddenly sped towards the energy floating on his finger and the moment they made contact with it, they were assimilated into one other almost instantly, forming a single sphere glowing with a multitude of colors. He turned his hand over so that the sphere rested in his palm and then shut his fingers, squeezing the energy tightly. With a whooshing sound, the energy extended and bent into the shape of a long-sword, still glowing with the combined energies of the figures. "Now, you who stand bound by the very earth itself," he said, gripping the handle with both hands, "I release you!" With that, he pulled the sword back and ran the blade through Terra's chest, directly where her heart would have been.

-End of Chapter 1

_Next time- The Titans look into the mysterious girl who defeated them as Keith and Rachel are sent to the surface. The appearance of a familiar foe interrupts the respite, however and soon, the Titans find themselves locked in combat with the robed figures once more._


End file.
